Born in Munich Germany in 1980 Soehnel earned a Bachelor of Cognitive Science & a Masters in Advanced Management. He maintains that art has always been his passion and that his collegial education fueled his desire to to evolve to new media processes. Benjamin says, “When I was young I used to paint black structures on white varnished wood. Then I discovered Video Feedback Art. A video camera is pointed at its own monitor, so that the monitor virtually shows itself. This loop causes abstract patterns in motion, which can be enhanced by mirroring, inversion and additional interferences. In 1997 I created Digital Surface Art.” Benjamin disassembles algorithmic patterns by color and fills each with new patterns. Thereby emerges a complex structure, which he superposes with artificial or natural textures manipulating it into a sophisticated surface by means of distortion and exposure to light. The entire process is driven by his inner voice. The compositions are not per-determined, but are developed during the process. Digital Surface Art is abstract and semi-representational. It is self-governed and does not reproduce definite reality, but has links to personal experiences. The production process is laserimage on aludibond, which gives the digital surface a stunning physical nature. Each print is signed and remains a one of a kind production. Digital Surface Art is an advancement of algorithmic art and is made with a entirely through digital and computer processes. It is not art of chance, but art of choice.
